ROASTED MUSTARD-LEMON CHICKEN WITH A SIMPLE ITALIAN ARUGULA SALAD

When in Italy, one of my favorite dinners is to have a rotisserie chicken on a bed of arugula dressed with a simple lemon vinaigrette. This is so delicious as a complete dinner. I first made a mustard-lemon marinade for the chicken and then a lemon vinaigrette for the arugula. This is one of my favorite go-to recipes. Delizioso!

Marinade
3 cloves garlic, pushed through a garlic press

2 t thyme leaves, minced

2 t oregano leaves, minced

2 t rosemary leaves, minced
½ t onion powder

½ t paprika

Zest and juice of 1 small lemon
3 T Dijon mustard

2 T extra-light olive oil or avocado oil

Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

1 (3 ½ to 4 lb) whole roasting chicken

In a small bowl, mix together all of the Marinade ingredients.
Season to taste with salt and pepper.

Place chicken in a large cast-iron skillet or baking dish and tie legs together with kitchen twine.
Spoon and pat the mixture all over the chicken, including some into the cavity.

Place in refrigerator for at least 2 hours.

Remove chicken from refrigerator and let sit on the counter while you preheat oven to 400 degrees F.

When oven temperature reaches 400 degrees, place chicken in oven and roast for 45 minutes. Reduce temperature to 375 and roast another 15 to 20 minutes, or until juices run clear when you cut between the leg and breast.
Breast meat should register 160-165 degrees F when you test with an instant-read thermometer. The temperature will rise a few more degrees and you don't want to dry out your chicken.

Remove to a cutting board, cover loosely with aluminum foil and let rest 15 minutes.

Carve and serve and place on a bed of arugula with pan juices, on the side, if desired

Serves 4

Arugula Salad
1 bag of baby arugula, rinsed in cold water and spun dry
3 T white wine vinegar

1 T fresh lemon juice

1 small clove garlic, pressed or minced

1 t Dijon mustard

½ cup extra-virgin olive oil
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

Place arugula in a large salad bowl.

Mix the vinegar, lemon juice, garlic, and mustard in a small bowl.

Whisk in the olive oil and season to taste with salt and pepper.

Pour as much as needed over arugula and mix to combine.

Save any leftover vinaigrette in a covered jar.

Serves 2 to 4